Our babysitter is down to working six hours a week. That’s two three hour days. I know a lot of moms don’t have babysitters so I really shouldn’t complain, but I’m not really complaining.. just nervous.
Nervous as I may be, I am going to have to figure out how to get Sebastian ready for school, get him to school, exercise, eat breakfast, feed Madelyn, play with Madelyn, do the breakfast dishes, and give Madelyn a bath.. all before 9am, when I start work.
Then at 9, I have to start my work day. What will I do with Madelyn? That is the million dollar question.
If I try to work, as soon as I sit down at the desk, Madelyn starts tugging on me, or climbing up the chair. She absolutely doesn’t want me to work. So, do I wait until she takes her nap which is usually from about 12-2 then work for two hours? That’s not nearly enough time though. I need to put in a good 7-8 hours just like everyone else, in order to keep the business running smoothly. I have emails to answer, phone calls to make, advertisements to publish, product reviews to post, and accounting to do. Not to mention the unplanned phone calls I have to take whether Madelyn is awake or asleep. Oh, I can’t forget about Sebastian. He’s home from school around 2:30. He is pretty self sufficient at this age, but because I can’t spend the morning working, I am still working when he gets home from school which he doesn’t like.
Meanwhile, I have to eat, exercise, clean, do laundry (almost every day lately), etc. OH, and I like to shower every once in a while too.
UGHGGH!
Any suggestions?
Alicia
I think you’ll have to plan on working in short blocks except for nap time – in other words, alternate giving her your full attention vs. encouraging her to play on her own. There is, of course, the other “babysitter,” aks TV. I don’t advocate letting her watch a lot of it, of course, but sometimes it’s more important to maintain your own sanity.
Also, are there any moms who live nearby that you can trade babysitting duties with? Can you hire a college student to keep her busy while you work in the house?
Hope that helps – good luck!
How about the 20 hour work week story….
Have you looked into mommies day out?
Also emails tie up a lot of my time, I respond in a timely manner, but I am trying to only a lot periodic checks in order to get other work completed. Having a to-do list every morning….And staying organized helps or else I’d be scatter brained…:D
I also have a play area in my office for my son, so can be near by. He wants to play? Make it count! I feel being at the sewing machine or computer I need to step away and take periodic breaks anyway. So when I do I am chasing him around and giving him my undivided and then before I sit down to work I re-direct him to a toy or two. He usually gets pretty worn out. I also take a daily walk and find I sometimes work less and I am more productive if I stay focused but also take breaks.
Hope thank helps,
Jamie